WFSB

Fans of the New England Patriots, who are subscribers on Optimum cable television in Connecticut, your consumer-oriented United States senator has tuned you out. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who has been known to conduct a news conference or two, excoriating businesses for being unfriendly to consumers, has been mum on the continued battle between WFSB-TV 3 and Optimum cable. Since, Jan. 13, subscribers to Optimum have been without the CBS-TV affiliate, as the two sides battle over the fee Ch. 3’s parent company wants to charge Optimum to carry its channel. And per usual, the subscribers are left out in the cold.

Because CBS carries the NFL’s American Football Conference games, this means for a second straight week, New England Patriots fans will be left out in the cold. Last week, they missed the Patriots Saturday night victory over Houston, and this Sunday they will not be able to view the AFC Title game between New England and Pittsburgh on cable television, if they are Optimum subscribers.

Other than one tweet sent out last weekend to urge both sides to resolve the issue, not a peep from Mr. Consumer Senator. Of course, he has been busy tweeting about Donald Trump’s nominations, attending marches, and doing everything obstructive when it comes to Trump’s agenda, in order to mobilize progressive fundraising efforts for the years ahead. But as for the NFL, perhaps he has embraced the philosophy of actress Meryl Streep, who believes with Trump in charge the only thing left on TV to watch will be “football and martial arts.” Therefore he is doing his part to eradicate football.

In the meantime, Patriots fans, you have been left to watch marital arts. When it comes to football, your favorite consumer-oriented senator has chosen to punt, rather than use his seat for the bully pulpit for which he has become “famous.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is pulling a Donald Trump, using Twitter to demand that WFSB TV-3 and Optimum return to negotiations to place the channel back on Optimum’s cable system. Channel 3’s parent owners pulled the plug on the channel Friday afternoon at 5:00, leaving Optimum customers in Litchfield, Torrington, Goshen, Cornwall, Warren, Morris, Watertown and Thomaston without the CBS affiliated station, the only CBS station on its programming tier. That means fans of the New England Patriots will be shutout of tonight’s AFC playoff game in Foxboro between the Patriots and the Houston Texans, unless a deal can be struck before kick-off.

As is usually the case, both sides are pointing fingers at the other, but what is known, according to the Republican-American newspaper is that Channel 3’s parent company Meredith Corp., is asking for a 285-percent increase in the fee it charges Optimum to carry the station. Meredith Corp. is pointing the finger at Optimum’s new owner Altice, but Altice claimed it was willing to continue negotiations, before the contract expired on Friday.

Channel 3 and Optimum had a similar dispute in 2014, and the station was pulled off the system for two weeks.

As for Blumenthal, he sent out a tweet Friday night: “Calling on @WFSBnews @optimum to put fans&viewers first-stay at the table&continue contract negotiations.”

Some how, however, one thinks the tweet won’t get the coverage that a Trump tweet receives. Meanwhile, fans of the New England Patriots may need to find a good pair of rabbit ears to pull in the signal.